Best casino welcome bonuses in the UK
A casino welcome bonus, you see them everywhere. You see them on informative sites like these, you might even receive them in your e-mail, but mainly at the casinos themselves. It has become almost standard practice for online casinos to offer new players a welcome bonus or bonus package. You receive a casino welcome bonus when you register at a casino and it is simply a gesture of thanks from the casino.
A casino will put together one or more bonuses for a new player to enjoy once they register a player account. What the welcome package contains is up to the individual casino but there are a few popular choices that show up most often.
The purpose of this article:
New players sometimes find it difficult to choose between the many offers when it comes to welcome bonuses. There are so many and they all vary, that even experienced players can sometimes be surprised by subtle differences in terms and conditions. This is where RightCasino compares casino welcome bonuses, and offers the best welcome bonuses for UK players. On this page, players can find a complete guide on what a casino welcome bonus is, what a bonus entails, what types of welcome bonuses there are and what terms and conditions are usually attached to such a bonus.
Discover the best welcome bonus casinos
Almost all online casinos offer a welcome bonus to their newly-registered players. Why? Well, because if they don’t they get out-competed by other online casinos that do offer a welcome bonus.
Because there are so many of these casino welcome bonuses, we have listed the best online casinos with the most favourable welcome bonuses for you below.
- Deposit bonus available for your first deposit
- Welcome bonus available for newly registered players.
- Optimized website and app for players via mobile or tablet.
- 121% Up To £100
- Welcome Bonus
- Transparent about responsible gambling and fair pay-outs.
- Excellent slot game catalogue.
- Intuitive user interface and great user experience overall.
- 11 Welcome Spins + 100% up
- to 200£ on Your 1st Deposit
- Welcome offer: £30 Free bonus money
- The Grosvenor brand has a stellar reputation.
- Optimized website for all device
- Deposit £20
- Play with £50
- Some well known payment providers
- Both casino and live casino games available
- Okay (welcome) bonuses with decent wagering conditions
- 100% up to £300
- + 30 Free Spins
- Decent bonus conditions, and nicely transparent T&Cs
- An absolutely superb selection of slots from all the top providers
- A very responsive and well designed package all round
- 50 Spins on Big Bass Splash
- + 100% Bonus Up To £100
What is a welcome bonus?
A casino welcome bonus is a bonus that you receive when you just registered at an online casino. At almost all online casinos from the UK you receive a welcome bonus. They can take many shapes and forms but most (if not all) of them have two characteristics in common – they can only be claimed by new players and they can only be claimed once.
A casino gives away welcome bonus to stand out from other casinos. For example, If Casino A seems just as fun as Casino B, but Casino A offers a £50 welcome bonus, which one would you choose?
Exactly, Casino A. So a welcome bonus was created by online casinos to differentiate themselves and attract new players.
A casino will determine what kind of bonus is awarded, how long it is valid for and how it can be used. This information is most often found in the bonus terms and conditions section, though many casinos also include the most salient terms as small print within their advertising material for the welcome bonus.
Types of welcome bonus
Casinos can and do get creative with the type of welcome bonuses they offer but most fall within the same couple of categories.
First, we start with the way a welcome bonus can be claimed. There are two ways a welcome bonus can be claimed. A welcome bonus can be claimed just by registering (no deposit) or by making a deposit after registering.
Deposit bonus
The type of bonus where you need to make a deposit in order to claim the casino welcome bonus is the most common one. A lot of people prefer a no deposit bonus over a deposit bonus, but with a no deposit bonus, you shouldn’t cheer too early either.
A deposit bonus often gets you more bonus spins or bonus money then a no deposit bonus. The only difference is that you need to make a deposit first. But if you check with yourself, you know quite well that sooner or later you will make a deposit anyway. So why not right away? The deposit must be equal or greater to the minimum deposit amount the casino has set.
A casino welcome bonus may include more than one deposit bonus. In this case, the casino will reward the player with bonus perks on a set number of deposits and the bonus for each deposit may be different.
No-deposit welcome bonus
And then there is the UK’s favourite, a no deposit bonus, but certainly not the most common. No-deposit bonus are quite rare because a player does not need to deposit anything in order to receive the bonus. By contrast, a player can win money with the given bonus. So these no-deposit welcome bonuses are a bigger risk for the casino, since they can only lose money and not win any money.
Despite the risk for the casino to lose money they still offer no-deposit welcome bonuses, but why? A no deposit welcome bonus is very attractive. So when casinos offer these bonuses they receive a lot of new players and new players means more money. Because in the end 70% of these players will (unfortunately) lose their free money/spins and deposit anyways to play further.
That does not mean a no deposit bonus is not a good bonus or that it is a scam. It is still is a WIN/WIN, but a casino wouldn’t offer these bonuses if there wasn’t something in there for them too.
A no deposit welcome bonus is usually triggered when a player first registers their casino account but can also be activated when a player verifies their account, supplies specified contact details and so on. We supply more information about the right casino no deposit bonus deals in this article including wagering requirements, game weightings and more.
Types of casino welcome bonuses
Adding to that is that within these two ways, there are still differences in how the welcome bonus is offered. For example, do you get free spins or do you get bonus money?
The types of casino welcome bonuses we are going to discuss are:
- Free spins bonus
- Match deposit bonus
- Welcome bonus combination
- Bonus cash
Casinos can and do get creative with the type of welcome bonuses they offer but most fall within the same couple of categories.
Welcome bonus free spins
These might be one of my favorite bonuses. With a free spins bonus you simply receive an amount of spins that can be used on a slot. Often these spins are given away to promote a certain new slot from a game provider or to introduce you to one of the casinos’ most popular slot.
The reason I love free spins bonuses is because the wagering requirements are often very low to even zero. That means that every pound (£) you win from the free spins is immediately yours and can be withdrawn.
Free spin offers: a popular addition to many online casino welcome offers. A player accepting such a bonus will receive a set number of free rounds, usually redeemable on a selected game or games. Rarely, casinos will allow players to use their free spins on a large choice of slots but most casinos prefer to specify where free spins may be used.
Match Deposit
Many casino welcome bonuses include a casino bonus match. If you are at all familiar with online gambling, we really don’t need to explain to you what a match deposit bonus or casino bonus match is. But for the ones that do not know what a match deposit bonus is, we will explain. Or maybe you have never heard of the term match deposit, but once you see what kind of bonus it is you think “oh yes, I have heard of that”.
A match deposit bonus means that your deposit will be matched to a certain percentage and amount. Often a match deposit bonus will be matched 100%, but there are also match deposit bonuses where your deposit is matched 50% or even 150%.
For example, if you are about to claim a match deposit bonus up to £100. That means that you can receive £100 bonus money, depending on how much you deposit. If your deposit will be 100% matched it means that you have to deposit £100 in order to receive £100 bonus money. If your deposit would be matched 50% it means that you have to deposit £200 in order to receive the £100 bonus money. Simple as that, isn’t it?
Welcome bonus combination: Match deposit + free spins
The Match Deposit bonus probably is the most common bonus in combination with free spins. So let’s say the bonus says “100% up to £100 + 25 Free Spins” with a minimum deposit of £10.
That often means (depending on the TCs) that if you want to claim the full £100 bonus money, you need to deposit £100. But if you just want the 25 Free Spins you can just deposit £10 and receive £10 bonus money + 25 free spins.
Bonus cash
Some casinos offer players bonus cash as all or part of a welcome bonus. Some of the best online casinos offer no deposit bonuses which may not be necessary in order to claim this welcome bonus, though the casino may only award bonus cash if a player has completed certain account activities like filling in their contact details or referring a friend.
How to claim a Casino Welcome Bonus?
Claiming your casino welcome bonus totally varies per casino and per bonus. As said earlier it depends on whether your welcome bonus is a no deposit bonus or a deposit bonus, but there is more on which it depends, such as the bonus terms and conditions. However, a few steps will always remain the same, no matter what bonus you claim or at what casino you register.
- Choose one of RightCasino’s recommended bonuses that most appeals to you and click on ‘Get Bonus’.
- Register at the casino.
- Fill in the required details: e-mail address, copy of passport/ID, other personal information et cetera.
Note: If your welcome bonus is a no deposit bonus there are no further steps.
- Check the terms and conditions of the welcome bonus.
- Make the required minimum deposit in order to receive the bonus money or spins.
- Meet the wagering requirements and WIN money!
- Cash out the money!
Those are the basic steps on how to claim your casino welcome bonus that will always remain the same.
The best casino welcome bonus in my opinion
So now that you know what types of casino welcome bonuses there are and how to claim them it is time to tell you everything about the best type of casino welcome bonus.
In my opinion the no deposit welcome bonus is the best welcome bonus out there. That is the reason why most of online casinos do not offer a no deposit bonus. It is far too favorable to the player.
A few reasons on why a no deposit bonus is the best casino welcome bonus:
- It costs the player nothing.
- A player can win money, without losing any money.
- Low risk for the player.
- The player can try out an online casino without having to spend any money.
- It is a WIN/WIN situation for both the casino and the player. The casino has a new player, the player has a chance to win money for free.
What I think of a Casino welcome bonus
I think every online casino in the UK has to offer a welcome bonus these days. I mean it is not mandatory, but if you want to join the rest, you have to. These days, it’s not even about setting yourself apart from the rest through a welcome bonus. Today, it’s more about not even joining the rest if you don’t offer a welcome bonus to your new players. Really almost every casino does it.
But besides that I think a casino welcome bonus is a great way to thank a player for choosing a certain casino. You, as a player, could have chosen hundreds of other online casino, but you chose to play at that casino. And a new player is worth money. Keep in mind that you are the product, not the customer. So a thank you is the least a casino can do.
The pros and cons of a casino welcome bonus
👍🏽Pros
- Get to know the casino without having to spend (a lot of) money.
- Receive free money or spins.
- Win REAL money with bonus money or spins.
- A good reason to choose a particular casino.
👎🏽Cons
- There may be nasty conditions attached.
- Therefore the bonus may not always be what it seems to be.
Overall conclusion: Yes, a welcome bonus is great.
Using your welcome bonus
Making use of your welcome bonus appropriately is a good way to enjoy casino entertainment over a longer period of time. Here are a few things to keep in mind when learning about a welcome bonus and deciding if it’s right for you.
Time limits
All bonuses, of any kind, are bound by a time limit. The casino itself sets these limits, which can range from days to months. Information on the time limits on using a bonus, meeting wagering requirements and so on can be found in the terms and conditions.
Game weightings, exclusions and bet limits
Bonuses are usually subject to wagering requirements (unless it is a wager-free bonus). Casinos often impose different game weightings for the various types of games they host, which means that play on one sort of game may go further towards meeting requirements than play on another.
Slots are usually assigned 100% game weighting while table games like roulette and blackjack as often assigned much lower percentages.
Some game categories are excluded altogether. Jackpot games, for example, often contribute 0% to wagering requirements, even if they are technically slot games. Game weightings and exclusions can be found in the terms and conditions.
Casinos can also set a limit on the size of bets used to meet wagering requirements. This is to prevent players from wagering exceedingly high.
Free spins restrictions
In casinos that offer free spins bonuses, it is common to see rules specific to free spins. Most free spins bonuses are limited to play on a named slot or slots. Some casinos allow broader use of free spins – all NetEnt slots games may be eligible, for example.
Casinos will set a limit on the amount of winnings that can be claimed from free spins as well as limits on how much can be withdrawn. Free spins are always subject to time limits.
One bonus at a time
The large majority of casinos restrict players to one active bonus at a time. It may be possible, depending on the casino, to collect a bonus and activate it at a later date, particularly if it forms part of an ongoing promotion. The terms and conditions of the promotion/bonus will set out the rules.
Activating a second bonus simultaneously may result in the forfeiture of the first one or even account suspension, depending on the particular casino’s views on bonus abuse.
Bonus codes
Some bonuses can only be triggered when the player inputs a specific bonus code when making a deposit. Codes may or may not be exclusive, and can be claimed in a variety of ways – through casino promotion emails or the casino itself, exclusively through player support, via affiliated sites and so on.
Bonus codes must be typed in exactly right or better yet, copied and pasted into the relevant field.
Players who accidentally forget to use a bonus code when making a deposit should contact player support immediately – a resolution could be found that sees the player still able to claim the bonus.
Key tips to remember
The secret to finding the best casino welcome bonus is simple – it’s finding the best welcome bonus for you. Choosing the bonus that works for you is easier when you have the right knowledge to make the correct decision. Below are some things to keep in mind when deciding which welcome bonus to choose.
Payment method exclusions
Some online casinos can choose to exclude deposits made via certain payment methods as ineligible. Neteller and Skrill are the most frequently excluded methods and such a casino will not reward these deposits with a bonus.
Does the bonus suit my play?
Players who predominantly enjoy table games may not see much value in a deposit bonus that awards only free spins on slot games. A casino geared more specifically towards table games will offer a welcome bonus that appeals to its target audience, so look out for these kinds of offers.
Bonuses may include many parts
We have seen casinos rewarding players for not just their their first and second deposits but up to their fifth as well. If you are not keen on this kind of multi-part bonus (and the wagering requirements that come with it), you may be better served elsewhere.
Always read the T&Cs
The terms and conditions will contain every single bit of information you need to know about a casino and the bonuses it offers. Expiry times, wagering requirements, game weightings, exclusions and other crucial info is all available in one place. Reading the T&Cs will ensure you know exactly what a bonus entails and how you may or may not use it.
Bonuses are not mandatory
New players in particular may feel pressured into claiming a casino bonus. There is no casino that forces its players to accept a bonus and many make the effort to display the ‘Opt Out’ option at several stages of the depositing process.
If you do not like a particular bonus, you should feel free to ignore it. Remember, a casino bonus is meant to be a good thing – if you don’t think it will be, there’s no harm in walking away and waiting for a better one.
The best UK Casino welcome bonuses:
- Welcome offer: £30 Free bonus money
- The Grosvenor brand has a stellar reputation.
- Optimized website for all device
- Deposit £20
- Play with £50
- Deposit bonus available for your first deposit
- Welcome bonus available for newly registered players.
- Optimized website and app for players via mobile or tablet.
- 121% Up To £100
- Welcome Bonus
- Up to £25
- + an additional 20 spins
- Transparent about responsible gambling and fair pay-outs.
- Excellent slot game catalogue.
- Intuitive user interface and great user experience overall.
- 11 Welcome Spins + 100% up
- to 200£ on Your 1st Deposit
- 700+ games with titles to suit all players like Gonzo's Quest Megaways, Starburst, Eye of Horus and many more!
- Great payment methods and high maximum amounts.
- An array of perks and casino rewards.
- Deposit bonus up to £100
- + £7 on Live Casino games
- Awesome website that intelligently lays out a LOT of content.
- Covers all bases with a sportsbook, casino games and a poker client.
- Superb, efficient customer support.
- 100% up to £100
- Welcome Bonus
- Decent bonus conditions, and nicely transparent T&Cs
- An absolutely superb selection of slots from all the top providers
- A very responsive and well designed package all round
- 50 Spins on Big Bass Splash
- + 100% Bonus Up To £100
- Some well known payment providers
- Both casino and live casino games available
- Okay (welcome) bonuses with decent wagering conditions
- 100% up to £300
- + 30 Free Spins
- Nice welcome bonus
- Striking visuals and easy to navigate
- Fully responsive
- 108 Bonus Spins
- Nicely designed site for mobile devices
- - Good T&Cs for all bonuses and promotions
- You can fund your account by 'pay by phone bill'
- 100% up to £100
- + 20 Free Spins
